Sir Francis Drake

(1540–1597) 

Born in Devon, England, as the son of a tenant farme. He crossed the Atlantic on voyages to North America, the Caribbean, and Central America.Francis Drake left Plymouth, England, in 1577 with five ships. The fleet quickly met with difficulties and endured hardships down the South American coast. By the time he reached the Strait of Magellan, only one ship remained. They traveled up the coast of Chile and Peru, sailing into the port at Lima completely unexpected.Drake and his crew crossed the Pacific, landing for diplomacy and trade in the Philippines and Turnade.Queen Elizabeth knighted Francis Drake, and he went on to serve under Her Majesty’s command, plundering the Caribbean and South America for Spanish wealth. Sir Drake served as vice admiral of the British fleet in 1588, playing a crucial role in the English defeat of the Spanish Armada. Drake’s last mission to the Caribbean islands was met with disaster. The Spanish were prepared, and he failed to capture the port of Las Palmas and lost the Battle of San Juan. He died suddenly of dysentery off the coast of Panama, where he was buried at sea.

Ferdinand Magellan (1480–1521)

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese nobleman and sailor who led the first European expedition to circumnavigate the globe. Born in Portugal, Magellan began serving as a page in the queen’s court at age 10. Magellan also fought Egyptian ships for control of the Arabian Sea in the Battle of Diu. He may have also traveled to Indonesia, which was known as the “Spice Islands” at that time. The islands were famous for their precious spices, such as nutmeg.  Magellan was stationed in Morocco when he was accused of illegally trading with African-Arab traders. He denied the allegations but was stripped of his authority and lost the king’s approval. Magellan re-established himself as a Spanish citizen in Seville, Spain, in 1517 and married a Portuguese woman named Beatriz Barbosa. His wife’s family also introduced him to the court of King Charles I of Spain, a young king who was interested in discovering a direct trade route to the “Spice Islands” without having to sail through Portuguese-controlled waters. Inspired by Christopher Columbus’ western route, Magellan believed that he could circumnavigate the globe without having to sail around the coast of Africa.In 1519, Magellan’s fleet set sail with 270 men and five ships. They fared well across the Atlantic and anchored in Brazil. For five months, Magellan’s crew searched along the eastern coast of South America for a passage that would lead them through the continent rather than sailing around the southern Cape Horn. Tempers flared and mutiny ensued. One ship’s captain was killed, and another captain was executed by his crew. Magellan and his crew assumed that the Spice Islands were nearby. They set sail across open water and then went without seeing land for over three months. They lost a significant number of men to scurvy, disease, and starvation. Eventually, they landed in Guam, then proceeded to Homonhon Island in the Philippines.